Published: September 23, 2005 03:17 pm      

Unlocking the mind

Geriatric psychiatrist deals with mental ills

JOHNSTOWN — Dr. Ashok Jain is 44 years old, but he relishes the company of senior citizens.

Jain is a geriatric psychiatrist who was persuaded to leave his Allegheny County practice in June to become medical director of Conemaugh Health System’s new senior adult unit.

The unit is just one segment of the health system’s psychiatric department, which is striving to increase awareness of clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive behavior and other disorders.

With the addition of four psychiatrists in the past several months, Conemaugh has bolstered its range of treatment programs.

Jain is a personable and passionate man. When he was practicing in India, he was known as the “hugging doctor” because he is open and not fearful of showing affection.

Jain said his practice is based on the ABCs– availability, behavior and competence.

“I believe in being available for the patient, using behavior that is open and warm, and being competent to deal with problems,” he said.

As a geriatric psychiatrist, Jain deals with the assessment and management of mental disorders occurring in late life.

“That age could be as early as 55,” Jain said.

“This area has had good psychiatric services, but not to the scale of what I hope to achieve.”

Dr. Burton Singerman, director of behavioral health at Memorial Medical Center, said Jain was hired because of the hospital’s growing concern about an expected increase in the number of aging mentally ill patients.

“Dr. Jain has been busy meeting with people from nursing homes and lecturing throughout the community,” Singerman said. “The unit is growing at a fast pace, and we are already thinking of adding a nurse practitioner and another psychiatrist.”

Singerman said the 18-bed unit may be expanded once other services can be moved to Memorial’s downtown campus.

“All of the behavioral health patients will come here (north campus),” Singerman said.

Jain was a surgeon, but soon realized psychiatric medicine was his calling.

“It enthralled me when I experienced it,” he said. “It’s a challenge to understand humans and their behavior. There is so much hope in people.

“It’s nice to be able to heal and befriend someone.”

Physical illnesses, medications and the psychological and social stresses of growing older all can complicate diagnosis and treatment of late-life psychiatric problems.

“It can be a double-edged sword, but with proper techniques we can determine cause and effect and all that comes with that,” Jain said. “A stoke or Parkinson’s can lead to dementia.”

Patients sometimes show many of the physical symptoms of depression, but often not any of the psychological ones. This has led some mental health workers to suggest that it may be a form of masked depression.

Jain talks of one female patient he recently treated who was diagnosed with dementia and was relegated to a nursing home.

“With some prescribed treatment, the woman went from the nursing home to a personal-care facility and eventually to an assisted living environment,” he said.

“We discovered she was suffering from depression, not dementia.”

Jain said the psychiatric community still battles the stigma associated with mental illness.

“Call it a stigma or a fear factor, there is often a lack of acceptance on the part of family members to admit something is wrong,” Jain said.

He strongly stresses the importance of early diagnosis. Jain emphasized approaching mental illness in the same manner a person facing a family history of breast cancer or heart disease would respond.

“There are scans and screenings that can be done early on to identify problems and the same can be said of behavioral problems,” he said.

“Changes can begin 10 to 20 years before symptoms appear, but there are tests that can be administered.”

Jain said mild signs of Alzheimer’s disease can include memory loss, confusion, poor judgment, mood changes and increased anxiety.

Singerman and Jain are preparing for the immense challenges the field faces in the coming years with the inevitable graying of the baby-boom generation.

“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among people age 65 and older,” Jain said.

“By 2050, 13 million older Americans are expected to have Alzheimer’s if the current numbers hold and no preventive treatments become available.”

Jain strives to work with a patient and his or her support system to relieve symptoms and maximize quality of life.

“My goal is to treat my patients like a member of my family,” Jain said. “I want to give my patients the same treatment I would want my brother or sister to receive.”

Jain has been putting in long hours spreading the word among nursing homes, government agencies, families and other doctors in an attempt to better educate the community about senior mental-health issues.

Before coming to the United States, Jain was a leading psychiatrist in Delhi, India.

He said he came here to ensure a better life for his children. Jain and his wife, Meeta, have three children, ranging in age from 8 months to 14 years.

“I’m a religious person,” he said. “There is not a single day that I don’t pray. I ask patients to be God-fearing and God-loving, because that is the greatest way of healing.

“Without his blessing, I can do nothing.”